As mobile devices continue to become more and more commonplace, mobile device users are experiencing increasing congestion on wide-area wireless networks. Wireless systems cannot currently operate, however, without using this congested infrastructure. In order to send an electronic message between two mobile devices, known systems require the use of a wide-area wireless network, even if the two mobile devices are in very close proximity to one another.
FIG. 1 shows the routing of an electronic message between two mobile devices 20b and 20c using a known wireless system 10. The known system 10 includes an office 12, a wide-area wireless network 26, a wireless gateway 24, and an Internet 22. Located within the office 12 are a plurality of mobile devices 20a, 20b and 20c, a corporate LAN 14, and a plurality of personal computers (“PCs”) 16a, 16b, 16c and 16d. Also accessible to the corporate LAN 14 is a redirection software module 18. This redirection software module 18 is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,694, which is co-owned with the present application, and which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The term “wireless network” is commonly used to refer to both data-centric and voice-centric network services. Examples of known data-centric network services include the Mobitex Radio Network (“Mobitex”), the DataTAC Radio Network (“DataTAC”), and the General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”). In addition, there are wireless networks (operational and under development) in which both voice and data communication can be supported over the same physical network. Examples of combined data-centric/voice-centric networks include the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), the EDGE network, and the UMTS network. For the purposes of this application, however, the term “wide-area wireless network” refers to any wireless network that supports data communications.
It should also be understood that the terms “office” and “office environment” are used throughout this application to refer to any enclosed area in which mobile devices may be used, and the terms are not limited to buildings where business is conducted.
Wide-area wireless networks 26 are typically arranged in a tiered system having at least two levels: base stations and mobile switching centers. Mobile switching centers typically include a subscriber database and a visitor database, which are used to track the location and status of mobile devices in communication with the many base stations at the bottom tier of the system. In high traffic areas, service on the wide-area wireless network 26 is often affected by congestion at both the base station and mobile switching center levels. As can be seen with reference to FIG. 1, congestion on the wide-area wireless network 26 may interrupt or delay service even if both mobile devices 20b and 20c are located in the same office 12.
FIG. 2 shows a known method of routing an electronic message between two mobile devices 20b and 20c using redirection software 18 operating on a wireless system 10. The known wireless system 10 is the same system as described with respect to FIG. 1. In this instance, however, the electronic message is communicated between wireless devices using a known redirection software module 18, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,694. The redirection software module 18 is capable of re-routing an electronic message sent to an e-mail address on a corporate LAN 14; sending a copy of the electronic message to both the mobile device user's personal computer 16d and his or her mobile device 20b. As shown in FIG. 2, this known routing method requires access to both the wide-area wireless network 26 and the Internet 22, either of which are likely to be congested at certain times of the day.